Apr 11, 2010

Music Therapy - Israeli study shows that listening to Mozart, preterm infants gained weight more rapidly Music helps brain development and also aid in the treatment of various diseases. A good dose of Mozart is not only good to the ears, but it helps to normalize the metabolism of preterm infants. After exposing babies (1) born before the time the music of Austrian composer of the 18th century, researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel noticed that they had gained weight and became stronger than expected.
During the research, the babies as they listened half hour of music per day. After the therapy session, doctors Dror Mandel and Ronit Lubetzky measured the energy expenditure of children and comparing the average power consumed when they were lying. They found that when they hear the "concert", the babies spent less energy than at rest and, therefore, needed a smaller amount of calories to grow rapidly. According to Mandel, professor at the University of Tel Aviv, it is unclear how the music affected the little patients, but it was evident that they calmed thanks to the compositions.

Why Mozart and why not other composers such as Beethoven, Bach or Vivaldi? Dror Mandel explains that this is still a mystery and must be better studied by science. But he has a shot: "Mozart's melodies are repetitive and can affect the organizational centers of the cerebral cortex," said the Mail. This area, though small, is home to over 20 billion neurons and is responsible for complex brain functions such as sense perception, problem solving and detection of the basic qualities of sound, as the tone and intensity.

"Doctors are aware that environmental change can create a new paradigm in the treatment of babies who need neonatal care. Our main goal is to improve the quality of life of these children, "says Mandel. He said the focus of research developed at the University of Tel Aviv is to quantify the effects of music therapy to then create a medical protocol based on the technique.